Married To The Dragon Prince Against My Will-Chapter 243: THE RULE

"You finally decided to grace the palace this morning," Alexis said, his voice smooth, almost pleased. "That alone should make me grateful."

Ashen barely slowed his steps as he crossed the hall. The floor echoed beneath his boots, the sound sharp in the silence.

"If you had not summoned me, I would still be with my wife. So say what you called me for and say it quickly. I am not staying for long."

Alexis smiled faintly and gestured to one of the guards. The man stepped forward and unfurled a sealed scroll, holding it out with both hands.

Ashen did not take it and instead, he turned his head and looked at Alexis, one brow lifting slightly. The look said everything he refused to speak. What is this supposed to be?

"You should read it," Alexis said calmly. "You understand court language better than I do."

Ashen exhaled through his nose, irritation tightening his jaw. After a moment, he snatched the scroll from the guard and broke the seal.

His eyes moved quickly as he read. The longer he stared, the colder his expression became. When he finished, he let the parchment fall from his fingers. It hit the floor softly, as though even the sound feared him.

"So," Ashen said quietly, lifting his gaze. "What exactly are you expecting from me? That I advise you on how to punish your own mother and brother without provoking the Celestial Realm?"

Alexis’s smile faded, "Just like how you understand it." he replied.

"The decision has already been made," Ashen continued, his voice sharpening. "Do not pretend I have any say in it."

He turned away, already done. "If that is all, then I am leaving."

"Ashen." The single word stopped him.

He did not turn at once as his shoulders stiffened, as if bracing for a blow.

"The king is ill," Alexis said. "You know this. He no longer has the strength to fight what is coming."

Ashen faced him slowly now, eyes dark. "And?"

"And Adam and his mother are not idle," Alexis replied. "They never have been."

Ashen’s lips curved, but there was no humor in it. "You speak as if this is new."

Alexis stepped closer. "You never had a childhood, Ashen. You were raised in shadows and exile. I know you hate this court, this life. But whether you want it or not, you are tied to it."

Ashen pushed back his chair and stood. "I did not ask for this fate. I did not ask to be dragged back into your games. If you will excuse me, I am finished here."

He took two steps but Alexis stopped him again.

"You know she is not our mother," Alexis said quietly. "And Adam is not your brother."

Ashen froze at once, for a heartbeat, the world seemed to tilt. His hand clenched at his side, fingers digging into his palm. Slowly, he swallowed.

"I suspected," he said at last. "Long ago."

Alexis watched his face closely. "But you never sought the truth."

"Because I did not care," Ashen replied, turning slightly. "Blood means little to me."

"And yet," Alexis said, "you care now about your wife."

Ashen laughed once, short and humorless. "Do not cross your limit, Alexis."

Alexis lowered his voice. "What if I say I would take action against your wife regarding her last statement?"

Ashen spun around so fast the guards stiffened. In three strides, he was in front of Alexis, fist gripping the front of his brother’s tunic. The air trembled with restrained power.

"If you so much as think of touching her," Ashen said, his voice low and lethal, "I will burn this palace to ash."

Steel rang as guards rushed forward, weapons half-drawn but Alexis lifted one hand, and they stopped at once. His eyes never left Ashen’s.

"You have a weakness now," Alexis said softly.

Ashen’s grip trembled. Slowly, he released him.

"I wish you never had one," Alexis added.

Ashen stepped back, shaking his head. "That was a childish belief and I grew out of it."

"Did you," Alexis asked, "or did she simply awaken it?" Silence stretched between them.

"You were born to command dragons," Alexis continued. "To rule fire itself. Do you truly believe destiny would allow you to live without sacrifice?"

Ashen’s voice dropped. "I was never meant to be king okay... I am not dragging this throne with any of you."

Alexis turned and walked toward the tall windows overlooking the realm. Below them, banners fluttered, fragile against the vast sky.

"You may not want the throne, but is it the same for the woman you call your wife?" Ashen followed his gaze unwillingly.

"She is the only life I am choosing," Ashen said. "She might not understand much, but don’t think of messing with her."

Alexis’s shoulders stiffened. "She is far more dangerous than you realize Ashen."

Ashen snapped, "I am not complaining."

Alexis turned, his eyes sharp. "She is an enchantress. Ambitious. Clever. And she carries a power that terrifies every realm."

He lowered his voice as he turned back to his brother. "She is a curse."

Ashen stepped forward again. "Alexis."

"The last of her kind," Alexis went on. "And the last is never allowed to live past the turning age."Ashen’s control shattered this time.

"Enough!"

His shout echoed through the hall, startling even the guards.

"Do not speak of her death," he said, breathing unevenly. "Ever."

Alexis held his gaze as he proceeded. "Father took another woman for this same reason." Ashen’s eyes flickered trying to understand his brother..

"He believed love weakens rule," Alexis said. "He believed desire invites ruin and yet, even he could not escape it." Alexis let out a sigh.

"For him to rule this realm, our mother needed to be sacrificed for him to kill his desire and he took in another woman."

Ashen’s hands curled into fists not wanting to believe all these. "So what is your solution?"

Alexis inhaled slowly, then snapped his fingers.

From behind the pillars, the King’s aide was escorted forward. Without a word, he held out another scroll.

Ashen stared at it as though it might bite him.

"Read," Alexis said.

Ashen did not touch it. "And if I refuse?"

Alexis’s voice was calm, almost gentle. "You did not refuse your wife when she was given to you." Ashen flinched at that sentence.

"This is the same rule just like months ago," Alexis continued. "A concubine from the Abysland for you and me will take the princess of Shadover Realm. Together, we secure the borders."

Ashen laughed, but it broke into ugly type "You think I will accept another woman?"

"You will," Alexis said quietly, "if you wish to protect her."

Ashen’s knees weakened. He steadied himself against the table, breath coming shallow.

"Lumina will never submit nor bend when the times come, that is exactly why we fear her... we can’t give her more power than what she has."

"But I don’t want the throne, why don’t you all get it?" The scroll rustled as the king’s aide’s hand trembled.

"No one in this palace married for love," Alexis said. "Do not pretend you are exempt... and you can’t lean past this rule since your wife was also given to you by Adam."

Ashen’s fingers finally closed around the parchment, though his hands shook violently.

For the first time, he said nothing.